WARNING

of misleading offers, payment requests and invoices
in close connection with intellectual property rights

We would like to warn you of misleading offers, payment requests and invoices in connection with applications for or renewals of intellectual property rights.

Certain companies offer, sometimes using names resembling those of official agencies, paid publication or registration services for intellectual property rights in unofficial registers or a renewal of rights at the German Patent and Trademark Office or any other official authorities. In many cases the offers, payment requests, invoices or remittance slips of these companies resemble the appearance of official forms. We would like to inform you that such letters have no legal effect and do not entail any payment obligations.

These dubious companies may have no insurance making it difficult to claim damages in case your property right should lapse by their fault.

Please check the links in the below table for an updated list maintained by the different IP Offices. The companies listed are neither entrusted with any official services by the German Patent and Trademark Office (GPTO) nor by any other authority. This list is neither comprehensive nor final as new offerers emerge constantly.

We would like to stress that any official notifications, in particular regarding renewal fees for trademarks, patents, utility models and/or design patents, will exclusively be serviced to our office when we have been appointed as your representatives. All official notifications in these cases, thus, will solely reach you via our office. This applies to proceedings before German, European as well as international authorities. We therefore recommend that you contact us if you receive any unsolicited letters in relation to your trademarks, patents, utility models and/or design patents. Specifically, we would like to warn against effecting any payments to these providers.